Survey Results: Today’s Students Are Skipping College
I’ll never forget reading the statistic, “90 percent of millennials who graduate from high school attend college within eight years.” That was the highest number on record and would have tilted the workforce in both positive and negative ways. (Very good to have so many college-educated professionals. Not so good when many job openings don’t…
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Two Critical Mistakes Parents Make When It Comes to Responsibility
This month, American parents received two life-lessons about mishandling money with their young adult children. The research on what’s trending has become clear. Let me cut straight to the point. 1. Parents Take Responsibility Too Often When We Should Let It Go The results of a nationwide survey were recently released: “Parents help their kids…
Continue ReadingFive Ways to Develop Empathy in Generation Z
In May 2007, an Iraqi artist named Wafaa Bilal decided to move into a gallery space in Chicago. He planned to do a 30-day experiment on “empathy” in light of what had happened to his brother In Iraq. His brother had been killed by an airstrike from a drone that was shot by a soldier…
Continue ReadingWhen to Rescue and When to Risk with Students
I know a young adult male—we’ll call him Sam—who manages depression and has anxiety attacks from time to time. As a young professional he’s attempting to cope with his reality, but over the last two years, he’s resorted to smoking pot, consuming too much alcohol and vaping. He’s gotten high and he’s gotten drunk and…
Continue ReadingBecoming a “Free Range Leader” for Generation Z
Over the last 18 months, I’ve been collecting stories from “heroes” in the world of student work, athletics and education. These are people who stand out among their peers; they make moves that not only engage Generation Z students but equip them with skills they will need as they graduate into a very different world…
Continue ReadingThree Ways to Evaluate Students Without Using Grades
Jillian is a rising junior who is obsessed with her academic scores. When I spoke to her, she admits to losing sleep over them, being preoccupied with keeping up with fellow students and even enduring an anxiety disorder because of them. Even though Jillian wants good grades, they hold her hostage each year. The fact…
Continue ReadingFour Timeless Tools to Connect with Generation Z
I continue to hear from teachers nationwide that genuine conversations are becoming more difficult in their classrooms. Students seem more comfortable interacting on portable devices than they are face-to-face. The screens in our lives are negatively influencing our social interactions. In addition to technology, new research demonstrates that other factors are playing a role in…
Continue ReadingThree Common Missteps Leaders Must Avoid
I read two articles recently that caught my attention. They did so because each published a report illustrating a moral failure that 21st-century leaders commit far too often. In fact, we hear stories like this every year. I believe our problem is—we value production over principles. Ford Knew Their Cars Were Defective “Ford Motor Company…
Continue Reading10 Steps to Help Recent College Graduates with Interviews
Picture this scenario: Your young graduate sends out her resume to several potential employers hoping for a great job to open up. Lo and behold, three job offers end up coming her way. But which should she choose? Such a decision seems more stressful than it was in past generations. More and more young professionals…
Continue ReadingWhat We Can Learn from the Perry Preschool Project
Recently, I wrote about James Heckman who evaluated the GED Program results after five decades and recorded his findings. Heckman is an economist and a 2000 Nobel Peace Prize Winner from the University of Chicago. He noticed that even young adults who earned their GED (General Education Development) were quitting or underperforming later in life,…
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